An evergreen shrub of neat, tufted habit, 1 to 2 ft high, stems minutely downy when young. Leaves narrowly oval, pointed, and somewhat more tapered at the apex than at the base, 1 to 3 in. long, 1⁄3 to 3⁄4 in. wide, glabrous and glossy green above, paler beneath, with a prominent nerve parallel to each margin; stalk 1⁄8 to 1⁄4 in. long. Flowers in short, axillary racemes, white, very fragrant, produced normally in early spring, sometimes in autumn; stamens with flattened stalks, petal-like; anthers pink; styles two. Fruits round, 1⁄4 in. in diameter, blue-black.
A native of western China, discovered by Augustine Henry and introduced by Wilson in 1907. It is closely allied to R. hookeriana var. digyna, differing in its dwarfer stature, its shorter, relatively much broader leaves and pink anthers (cream-coloured in R. hookeriana var. digyna). It is a neat little shrub sending up new stems from the ground like a butcher’s broom, and normally flowering in February.
For another plant once cultivated as S. humilis, see S. confusa.